Safety device for ships



June 16, 1931. s. KELEMEN SAFETY DEVICE FOR SHIPS Filed Dec. 19. 1950 INVENT OR Jag e filmed y UNITED} STATES] 1 6 sold at a reasonable cost.

Patented June 16, 1931 PATENT? OFFICE-'- snonen KELEM N; or sonrrn OMAHA, NEBRASKA SAFETY DEVICE FOR stuns;

. Application filed December 19,1930. Serial No 503369.

This invention relatesto new and useful improvements in a safety device for sinking ships.

I The invention, has for an object the provision of a 'safety' device for sinking ships characterized by 'a plurality of inflatable boats on the deck'of the ship adjacent derricks for'flowering the boats into the water, 7 and other infia table boats in compartment-s 10 on the sides of the ship, and means for holding the latter boats in various adjusted elevational positions forisupporting the sinking ship when in inflated conditions.

The invention'has for another object the arrangement ofomachinery and mechanism for accomplishing the inflatingof the boats above the waterline of the ship. so that during the 'initial-. filling up "of the ship with water in sinking the pparatus will not be i subjected to the Water.

f It is astill further object of this invention to arrange contr'ol switches for the operation of the'mechanism to inflate the various boats.

-A still further object of this invention is toarrange covers in various'boats on the deck which mayins'tantly be movedto positions in whichthe boats are exposed for inflation.

'As astill furtherlobjectof this invention it is proposed to'prov-ide means Within said compartments for...,ejecting the collapsed boats, and means for holding theboats in va-' rious elevated positions so as to beadjustable against the water line tosupport the ship.

11 5 "And as a'still further object of this invention it is proposed to'provide a device of the class mentioned which isfof simple durable construction, dependable in use and efficient in action, and which cjan be anu factured and For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and 'advantages'thereof, reference will be had to thefollowing description and. accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of'the invention-are more particularly set forth I g In the accompanying drawings forming a material art ofthis disclosure I Fig. 1. is a perspective viewof a ship on a I equipped with a safetydeivice accordingto this invention. v V j Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of the ship shown in Fig. 1 with the boats ininflated condition. i I F ig.'3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken onthe line 23- 3 ofFig. 2. H Fig. 4 's a fragmentary enlarged detailed view "of a portion of one of the inflatable boats.

Fig. .5is asche the device. I The-invention is shown installed upon a ship 10, which maybe of any'design andconstruction. Preferably, it should be of the ocean-going type. A seriesof compartments 11 are formed along the side of the ship 10. Each of these compartments are closedon threesidesby partitions 12 so that only the body ofwater and atic wiring diagram of fronts are open. Doors 13 are-hingedly. .mounted on the sides of the ship so as to cover the opened fronts of the compartments 11. Coaxial springs 14 are arranged upon the hinge points of the doors 13 for normally urging theminto a closed position as illustrated in Fig. l. The compartments 11" are constructed slightly abovethe water line 0f the ship asshown on the drawings.

An inflatable boat 15 is provided foreach of thecompartinents 11. These boats preferably shouldbe of rubber and of the convene tional type which may be inflated with air or gas. Each of the boats is provided. with an inlet pipe'16 having a control cup 17 immediately behind a coupling 18. This allows connection with a gas or air supply pipe 19;

' A seriesof inflatable boats 20 are arranged upon the deck of the ship. These boats should be so positioned that. they straddle the compartments 11 as clearly shown in Fig. 2 so that they may be lowered without interfering with the-'lower'boats 15. Means are-provided for'c overing each of the boats 20 when in the collapsed condition. This means is in the form of cloth material 21 attachedalong one of theiredqes 22onto the deck of the ship and along a 1 other edges being provided with snap fasteners 23 adapted to en age with complementar elements 24 attac ed upo'n the ship 10. his allows the cloth material 21 to be engaged over the collapsed boat, as for example indicated in Fig. 8. In this figure dot and dash lines 25 indicate the boat in a collapsed condition and dot and dash lines 26 the cover extended thereover.

A means is also provided for inflating each of the boats 20. This means is in the form of large reservoir tanks 27 supported within the boat 10 above the water. Pumps 28 are mounted upon a support 29 and connected for discharging into the tanks 27. A motor 30. is. connected with the pumps 28 for their turning. A discharge pipe 31 extends from the tank 27 and connects with a plurality of branches 19 which terminate in the vicinity of the Various boats 20 along the deck.. The branches 19 are adapted for connection. with the boats 20 for the inflation of the. latter elements by the coupling 18.

As shown on the drawings, a means is-also provided for lowering the inflated boats 20 into the water. This is accomplished by a plurality of derricks 32, or similar constructions, mounted upon the deck of theship 10 and adapted to support pulleys 33 provided with hoisting ropes 34 adapted to accomplish the raising and lowering of the boats 20.

In collapsed condition of the boats 15', they are stored within the compartments 11. A means is provided formoving the boats from each of the compartments to the exterior when this is desired. This means is in the form of screws 35'rotatively mounted along the sides of the compartments 11 in standards 36. A motor 37, or motors connect with the inner ends of thescrews35. A follower 38 is threadedly engaged upon each of the screws 35 and act against the bottom of the compartment 11jso as to limit movements to positions along't-he screws. e v r Arms 39 project from the followers 38 and support vertical members 40. Slides 41 engage upon the vertical members and have cars 42 to which the ends of the boats 15 are connected. Branch pipes 19 extend from the tank outlet 31 to the boats 15 and are connected therewith by the coupling 18eas before described. e r

The'i-nflated boats 15'may beheld in various adjusted vertical positions so as to act against the surface of the water and support the ship 10 against sinking. As the ship 10 sinks further and threatens to submerge the boatsf'15, their vertical positions may be changedtoprevent such action. The change in position is accomplished by nut-s43 threadedly engaged upon the members 10 and-acting again'tthe'top faces of the slides 40. ,W'hen it is necessary to allow upward motion of the boats 15, the s'crews43sho-uld be turned so as to travel up on the members 40." When the lzuoyancies of the boats 15 will cause them to rise. The various motors 37'and the motor 30 may he -controlled from a panel board 44 in he vicinit of the captains-or pile-tschamber of the ship. A switch 45 is mounted upon the panel board 44 and is connected in series with the motor 30 to control its operation. Another switch 46 is connected for controlling the operations of the motors 37, and another switch 47 is mounted upon the panel board for controlling the action of a solenoid 48 interposed in the outlet 31 for the control of the discharge of the air or gases from the tank 27.

The operation of the safety device may be traced by assuming the ship in a condition illustrated in Fig. 1. In the event that the ship starts sinking, the operator closes the switches 45, 46 and 47 so as to energize the motor 30 for operating the pumps 28 to supply additional air or .gasto the tanks 27 and also for operating the motor 37 to eject the boats 15. The closing of switch 47 causes the solenoid 48 to act for opening the discharge from the tank 27 into the various branches 19, and this causes the inflation of the boats 15 and 20. As the boats 20 become inflated, the air pressure automatically snaps the snap fasteners 23 and 24 open sothat the boats are ready for use. 1 e I The upper boats 20 may be lowered into the water with the aid of the de'rricks 32 and rope ladders may be used for persons from the deck entering the boats15. It is intended that the boats 15 be'used to support the ship 10, but if the case is hopeless then the boats l5 should be cut loose from the cars 42 and'the passengers should work for their own safety.

lVhileI have shown'and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to thepreciseconstruction herein disclosed and theright is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope ofthe invention-as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I-claim as: new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1 1. A safety device for sinking ships and the like, comprising a series of compartments along the side of a boat, an inflatable boat in each compartment, means for moving said boats from each compartmentto the exterior, means for inflating said boats, and means for holding said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so as to hold theboatsagainstthe water line to support the sinking ship.

the like, comprising a series of compartments along the side of a boat, an inflatableboat in each compartment, means. for moving said boats from each compartmentto the exterior, means for inflating said boats, .and means for holding said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so asto hold-the boats against the water line to support the sinking ship; doors beinghingedly mounted upon the sides of 1 2. A safety device for. sinking ships and said ship for normally closing said compartments.

3. A safety device for sinking ships and the like, comprising a series of compartments along the side of a boat, an inflatable boat I in each compartment, means for moving said boats from each compartment to the exterior, means for inflating said boats, and meansfor holding said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so as to hold the boats against the water line to supportlthe sinking ship,

said means for moving said boats from each compartment to the exterior includes screws connected for rotations with motors and supporting followers provided with arms supporting vertlcal members, slides on said vertical members connected with said boats, and nuts threadedly engaged on the vertical members.

4. YA safety device for sinking ships and the like, comprising a series of compartments along the side of a boat, an inflatable boat in and provided with suitable hoisting ropes connectedwith the boats.

7. A'safety device for sinking ships and the 7 compartments and a means for inflating said boats being controlled by the operation of switches.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

GEORGE KELEMEN.

each compartment, means for moving said boats from each compartment to the exterior, means for inflating said boats, means for holding said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so as to hold the boats against the water line to support the sinking ship, a series of inflatable boats on the deck of said ship,

means for covering said boats, means for in flating said boats, and means for lowering the inflated boats into the water.

5. A safety device for sinking ships and the like, comprising a series of compartments -2 along the side of a boat, an inflatable boat in each compartment, means for moving said boats from each compartment to the exterior, Y means for inflating said'boats, means for hold-.

ing said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so as to hold the boats against the Water line to support the sinking ship, a series of inflatable boats on the deckof said ship, means for covering said boats, means for inflating said boats, and means for lowering the inflated boats into the water, said means for covering said boats being in the form of cloth material permanently attached along one of their sides onto the deck and detachably connected along their other sides onto the deck. I a

6. A safety device for sinking ships and the the like, comprising a series of compartments along the side of a boat, an inflatable boat in each compartment, means for moving said boats from each compartment to the exterior, means for inflating said boats, means for holding said inflated boats at various adjusted heights so as to hold the boats against the water line to support the sinking ship, a series of inflatable boats on the deck ofsaidship,

means for covering said boats,qmeans for-infloating said boats, and means for lowering the inflated boats into the water, comprising derricks mounted upon the decks of said ship 

